An invitation from New Orleans: Come on down

How can people best help rebuild the residential neighborhoods of New Orleans that were wiped out by Hurricane Katrina? To a person, residents we asked replied: Come and see.

"It's a transformative experience," says Rev. Neale Miller, pastor of the Lakeview Presbyterian Church in New Orleans.

Empty lifeless homes and neighborhoods, yards overtaken with 5-foot growth and pests are some of the sights that would greet you today -- nearly a year since Katrina hit the Gulf Coast Aug. 29.

"Don't let our nation's leaders forget us down here," says Amelie Welman, administrative assistant at Lakeview Presbyterian. "This is a long-long-term build-back. These are not problems that will be solved in a year or two."

Churches from around the country have been sending volunteers throughout the year, says Welman, a New Orleans native. Some groups, such as one from the Brookfield Presbyterian Church in Brookfield, Wis., are even returning for second tours of duty, she says.

Some volunteers come to work for a weekend, some for a week to 10 days. College students came on their spring break to gut houses.

"It's helped us," Welman says. "As overwhelming as this has all been, the response from people wanting to help has matched in its enormity."

Earlier this month, Welman led a group of volunteers from her church to Gloria O'Leary's former home in New Orleans' Lakeview neighborhood. Nobody has been in the uninhabitable home since November, when O'Leary returned to rescue what she could. But most of her belongings are still in the house.

The volunteers, after consulting with O'Leary, who has relocated to Park Ridge, went through the home to find anything worth donating to others and then taking everything unsalvageable to the curb for disposal.

The Aug. 29 anniversary date is significant for another reason. Under its "Good Neighbor Plan," New Orleans has set an Aug. 29 deadline to clean out, gut and board up uninhabited homes; those that aren't gutted and boarded could be taken over by the city through eminent domain.

If you want to help gut homes or rebuild New Orleans neighborhoods, Welman suggests contacting any national religious organization.

"Faith-based organizations seem to be making the most progress in the city, in the neighborhoods, helping people," says Welman. "You can go to any faith-based organization doing work in the city and feel pretty good that your money and/or your labor are going to be well-used."

- The American Institute of Philanthropy, www.charitywatch.org/hottopics/hurricane(underscore)katrina.html. The institute has graded charitable organizations offering Katrina relief.

- The Beehive, www.thebeehive.org; search for "Katrina Help Center." The site offers resources related to "things that matter in our lives" and is run by One Economy Corporation, a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C.

- Volunteer Match, www.volunteermatch.org/volunteers/resour ces/hurricane.jsp. This is an online network that brings together non-profits and those who are interested in volunteering.

Direct contacts

Additionally, here is information for just a few of the organizations continuing to help the Gulf Coast recovery.